Fear Itself
by Chuken Hachiko
Summary: Alternate Universe to the events at the beginning of Shippuden! Songfic. Credit for said song is inside.


Author's Note: The songfic credit stuff:

Song: 'Hit The Floor'

By: Thousand Foot Krutch

Author's Note: Sure, Sakura is out of character but the tone I'm aiming at is the tone of the episode of Naruto where Sakura cuts her hair in the Forest of Death. Yeah and Naruto, Sasuke, and possibly Kiba and Neji are out of character is out of character. Pairings are Naruto x Sakura and Kiba x Sakura.

I might continue it, but I'm not sure how exactly to begin the next chapter if I do. If you ask me though I won't ...or I might...I know the title is cheesy...

"Sakura...what have you done?" Tsunade muttered.

"What do you want to do Tsunade-sama?" Shizune asked Tsunade. Tsunade sighed.

"How am I supposed to know...I have no choice...I have to send a retrieval team after her, tell no one who's not on the retrieval team of her disappearance. We have to keep this as under wraps as possible."

"Hai."

Tsunade looked over the report again. It was a traffic report of who had left Konoha that previous night:

_Haruno Sakura, age: 17, chunin left Konoha at 8:00pm last night saying she was sent on a mission. I was wary at first but I let her pass anyway. Possible link to Uchiha Sasuke's reappearance?_

_-Hagane Kotetsu_

Tsunade sighed as she organized the mission. She had to be picky of who she sent, she chose to Shino, Kiba, Neji, Choji, and...the only other available ninja to send was Naruto. She sighed. Maybe she should send him...he was one of the best ninja in the village.

"Shizune, send for Aburame Shino, Inuzuka Kiba, Hyuga Neji, Akimichi Choji and..." Tsunade let out a slight sigh. "...Uzumaki Naruto."

**I'm too scared to move, too scared to lose**

**Tell me what I am supposed to do**

Somewhere Between Otogakure and Konoha

Sakura looked up at the sky and sighed. This was insane! She knew that much. She also partly felt that still, though it was very small, a connection with Sasuke. Deep down she still loved him. She realized again though, she was probably classified as a missing-nin now.

"There's nothing I can do now..." she said to herself. "It's to late to turn back now. I'm a missing-nin."

She continued walking down the trail.

I'm too close to see you, but too far to touch

And too many times I've not done enough

Konoha

"So...that's the deal. Any questions?" Tsunade asked the four chunin and genin [A/N: Points if you get why I said genin! xD in front of her.

"No." replied the five ninja.

"Dismissed." Tsunade said and the five boys walked out. Naruto walked out. Kiba walked out with him.

"What's the matter buddy?! It's just like the mission with Sasuke!" Kiba said to him.

"No it's not Kiba." Naruto said calmly. "Don't you get it? This is Sakura we're talking about, if she refuses to come back with us, we'll we might have to take her by force."

"No matter what happens, true shinobi must never...ever...show their emotions! The mission is the only priority, carry that in your heart and never, never shed a tear." Tsunade recited behind them. "My point is, even if it comes to using force that you have to do it, whether you want to or not."

"She's right Naruto." Kiba told Naruto. Naruto nodded.

**I'm too close to see you, too far to touch,**

**And too many times I've not done enough**

Somewhere Between Otogakure and Konoha

Sakura sighed.

"Sakura..." she heard a voice say, a very familiar voice.

"S...Sasuke-k...kun." she said softly.

"How long has it been? Two years?"

"Yes, I've come to bring you back to Konoha."

"Why? Why do you do this?"

"Do what?"

"Trail after me."

"You want to hear the truth, Sasuke?"

"Yes."

"I love you. I LOVE YOU! YOU HEAR THAT?! THIS IS WHAT I DO FOR SOMEONE I LOVE?! Don't you get it? I risked it all to come after you, I'm probably labeled a missing-nin because of you!"

"Love? I don't need love."

"What?" Sakura asked him. "We all need love Sasuke, it gives us a purpose, a reason for living."

"Love is something that was never shown to me Sakura." Sasuke replied quietly.

"WHAT THE HECK?! YOU'VE BEEN SHOWN LOVE SASUKE! Why do you think I tried to stop you when you left Konoha? Why do you think Kakashi-sensei tried to seal your curse mark? WHY DO YOU THINK YONDAIME-SAMA FOUGHT THE KYUUBI AND SEALED IT INTO NARUTO?! IT'S BECAUSE I LOVED YOU! IT WAS BECAUSE YOU WERE PRESIOUS TO KAKASHI-SENSEI! IT WAS BECAUSE THE VILLAGE WAS PRESIOUS TO THE YONDAIME! Love gives us something to fight for! Something to protect! Love is something that keeps us going!"

"What keeps me going is avenging my clan and killing my brother. I don't need love, love is something optional."

**I'm too strong to hurt you, but too weak to crush**

**I want to, oh, oh let's go**

"Alright then, I'll have to take you back by force. I was hoping to just convince you." Sakura said softly as she put on the gloves she wore when doing taijutsu. Sasuke unsheathed the katakana from his waist.

"If I remember correctly, you weren't the best of fighters." Sasuke said to her.

"Heh...I've improved."

Oh-oh let's go everyone out the door

A Mile Or So Behind Where Sasuke and Sakura Are About To Fight

"WHAT THE HECK?! YOU'VE BEEN SHOWN LOVE SASUKE! Why do you think I tried to stop you when you left Konoha?! Why do you think Kakashi-sensei tried to seal your curse mark?! WHY DO YOU THINK YONDAIME-SAMA FOUGHT THE KYUUBI AND SEALED IT INTO NARUTO?! IT'S BECAUSE I LOVED YOU! IT WAS BECAUSE YOU WERE PRESIOUS TO KAKASHI-SENSEI! IT WAS BECAUSE THE VILLAGE WAS PRESIOUS TO HIM! Love gives us something to fight for! Something to protect! Love is something that keeps us going!" Naruto heard Sakura yell.

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto exclaimed and ran towards where he heard Sakura's voice. He saw Sakura and Sasuke, about ready to engage in a fight.

"Let her go Naruto." Neji said calmly.

"What?! Why?!"

"This is her fight Naruto, not your's, we will intervene only if we must."

Naruto paused. Neji was right. It was a matter of personal honor for Sakura from the sounds of it. He just didn't want to see Sakura get killed.

When you hear it go, hear it go, hit the floor

Let's go everyone hit the floor

Back to Sasuke and Sakura

"So, shall we begin?" Sasuke asked her. Sakura smirked.

"Bring it on...troublesome boy." Sakura replied. They charged at each other. Sasuke slashed at her with his sword, she dodged it with ease and came back with a lightning fast punch.

"You've changed, Tsunade's trained you well." Sasuke said calmly. Sakura was gone. "Huh? Where'd you go?"

"I'm right here!" Sakura said, she was above him, her leg posed to kick him so hard his head would smash into the ground. Sasuke dodged the kick best he could, Sakura's foot smashed into his shoulder though. "So, am I still the Sakura you left behind all those years ago?"

"No, your not...you leave me no choice Sakura." Sasuke said calmly, making the hand seal to activate his sharingan. "Sharingan!" He disappeared a second later.

'He's about to do the Lions Barrage! Crap!' Sakura thought. She looked around frantically to see Sasuke. He appeared in front of her.

"Lions Barrage!" he exclaimed as he kicked her up into the air. "You're weak Sakura, don't let love get in the way of your place as a shinobi." he said to her as he preformed the attack. Sakura landed to the ground with a hard thud. "Give up..."

"...love keeps on being friendly to people who aren't friendly back, love doesn't hold grudges. It doesn't keep thinking over and over again about how someone hurt you...love doesn't give up because something goes wrong or because your feelings are hurt..." Sakura whispered as she stood up again.

**When you hear it go, hear it go out the door**

**Oh-oh, let's go hit the floor, oh-oh here we go, here we go**

"What?! Impossible!!" Sasuke exclaimed, his eyes wide.

"I'm not who I once was Sasuke, I'm not the little girl who chased you around like a love sick pig. Sasuke, even though I don't act like that anymore, I still love you no matter what." Sakura replied to Sasuke's shock. "And nothing is going to stop me from bringing you back!"

I'm too scared to choose, scared to refuse

Tell me what I am supposed to do?

"Sakura looks like she's had enough..." Kiba whispered from the retrieval team's hiding place in the bushes. "...maybe we should go in and help her." Kiba began to walk out to help Sakura fight, but Naruto caught hold of his arm.

"No Kiba. We don't go in until we're positive that she's had enough." Naruto told his teammate.

"Naruto! Don't let your and Sakura's relationship get in the way of our mission!" the dog-nin howled. "Aren't you worried about her?!"

"Of course I am..." Naruto replied calmly. "...but this isn't our fight, it's Sakura's. And if any of you get in the way of her fight..." he turned to Shino, Choji, Neji, and Kiba. "...I'll kill you..." his blue eyes glowed red slightly for half a second. He turned back to watch Sasuke and Sakura's fight.

**I'm too wrong to be you, too right to blush**

**And too many times I've not done enough**

"ENOUGH OF THIS!" yelled Sasuke. It scared him, Sakura's persistence and how that even though he was a missing-nin and still treated her like dirt she risked it all to get him to come back to Konoha. Both of them had waisted energy, her more so. He charged the chidori. "CHIDORI!"

"We go in now!" Naruto yelled from the team's place in the bushes. "Neji! Take Sakura back to Konoha, she looks exhausted, the other three of you stay with me." Neji nodded and followed his orders.

"Naruto..." Sasuke said quietly as he disabled the chidori from charging. "Hmph."

"Tch. Hiya Sasuke." Naruto said matter-of-factly.

"I'm done here..."

"What?! Where you going?!"

"To train some more, tell Sakura I hope to face her again."

Tonight I walk alone no matter where I've been

Konoha Hospital

Sakura woke up in the hospital the next day, only to be greeted by Naruto and Tsunade.

"Heh, I'm sorry I acted stupid." Sakura said quietly.

"Stupid doesn't exactly describe it..." Tsunade muttered. "I looked at the chart. You have several broken bones. From what Naruto told me you showed exceptional stamina." Sakura smiled.

"Thanks, I guess..." Sakura said.

**No matter where I'm goin', I know**

**Green lights mean time to go**

**But I won't let them in 'cause I might lose control**

"Oh and Sakura..." Naruto said as Tsunade left.

"What is it?" she asked.

"Sasuke told me to tell you he wants to fight you again..."


End file.
